Chiesa del Gesù

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Jesuit order, incorporates elements that would become typical of churches built in the Baroque architectural style. Giacomo della Porta, a student of Michelangelo, designed the façade, the sculptural definition of which suggests his teacher’s influence. The two-story design, decorated with Corinthian columns and pilasters, reflects the interior configuration, with its tall central nave and lower lateral chapels. Architects had long struggled with how to harmonize this discrepancy; Della Porta drew inspiration from the past, looking to Alberti’s façade for Santa Maria Novella in Florence (1456) and employing curved scrolls, or volutes, on both sides of the upper story in order to create a more graceful transition between the central and side sections and visually link the façades two levels. This solution subsequently became a common element in Latin-cross-plan churches built in Rome. <br><br>By placing pairs of pilasters at regular intervals on both stories of the façade, Della Porta placed greater emphasis on the vertical rather than the horizontal connections. To accentuate the main entrance, the architect broke the entablature and brought the entire central portion slightly forward toward the piazza. The church’s entrance further stands out thanks to the addition of flanking columns and the double tympanum above. The decoration is otherwise minimal, in adherence to strictures imposed by Counter-Reformation reforms.</font><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_facciata_stemma_high-285x300.jpg"><br><br><br>The large coat-of-arms above the central doorway bears the Christogram (IHS), while the statues of Saint Ignatius (left) and Saint Francis Xavier (right) in the two flanking niches were added in the 17th century. <br><br>The overall effect of the façade is one of force and energy, but also austerity. <br><br><br></font></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Source: Adapted from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</span></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The church of the Gesù follows a Latin cross plan, with a single nave flanked by three chapels on either side, and two side entrances, one of which was transformed into the Cappella del Crocifisso while the other opens into the sacristy. Beyond the transept, which includes the majestic altar of Saint Ignatius on the left and the altar dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier on the right, there are the two circular chapels known as “Vignola’s Twins.” The chapel to the left of the altar contains the image of the Madonna della Strada, while the chapel on the right of the altar, formerly dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, contains the painting of the Sacred Heart by Pompeo Batoni.<br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_nome_high.jpg"><br><br>During the mid-19th century, the walls of the church were decorated with precious marble up to the level of the cornice, through the generosity of Prince Alessandro Torlonia. The nave vault fresco is a masterpiece by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio . Within a resplendent gilded stucco frame is the Glorification of the Name of Jesus. The subject illustrates a passage from Saint Paul: “that at the name of Jesus every knee shall be bent in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue shall proclaim Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:10).<br><br>In the pendentives there are figures from the Old Testament, and in the transepts, scenes from the lives of Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The dome, also painted by Gaulli, illustrates Paradise with saints and adoring angels. Finally, in apse fresco depicts the Adoration of the mystic Lamb. <br><br><br></font><div><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Source: Adapted from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</span></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The Chapel of Saint Francis Xavier was built according to the design of Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669), commissioned by Mons. Giovanni Francesco Negroni (later a cardinal), who had obtained the patronage rights to the chapel.<br><br>Elevated on a high plinth of colored marble are four magnificent red marble columns with Corinthian capitals supporting a majestic cornice crowned by a curvilinear broken tympanum. The tympanum contains a large stucco relief depicting Saint Francis Xavier being carried into Heaven by angels, encircled by golden rays.<br><br>The altarpiece, which depicts the saint’s death on Shangchuan Island in the Far East, is a mature work by one of the great masters of the 17th century in Rome, Carlo Maratti (1625-1713). The decoration of the arched vault of the chapel – with Saint Francis Xavier in glory in the center; the crucifix, which he lost in the sea and which was returned to him by a crab, at the left; and the baptism of an Indian princess, at the right – are the work of the Genoese painter Giovanni Andrea Carlone (1639-1697).<br><br>On the altar, a silver reliquary contains the right forearm of Saint Francis Xavier, which was separated from his body (which is venerated in the Church of St. Paul, in Goa, India, where he had long worked) by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, P. Claudio Acquaviva, in 1614.<br><br><br></font><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Source: Adapted from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</span>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The design of the Chapel of Saint Ignatius of Loyola was revised three times between the end of the 16th century and the late 17th century. The commission, originally entrusted to Giacomo della Porta, who had also designed the façade, was later given to Pietro da Cortona. The finel design of the chapel is by the Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo of Trent (1642-1709), the winner of a public competition in 1695 to redesign the altar.<br><br>A triumph of the Roman Baroque style, the chapel seems to be animated by an internal force. The two pairs of tall Composite columns, surmounted by a broken tympanum, appear to be pushed apart by the dynamic appearance of the figure in the center: the monumental statue of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus. Placed on a pedestal of marble and gilded bronze, the statue appears to project forward from the great niche, which is decorated with panels of gilded bronze, lapis lazuli, and other precious stones. <br><br>The original statue, the work of Pierre le Gros II, was melted down during the French occupation of 1798; only the pianeta (chasuble) remained, to which the missing parts, designed in stucco and then coated in silver, were added at the beginning of the 19th century. This later work was executed in the workshop of Antonio Canova, probably by Adamo Tadolini (1788-1868). A large altarpiece, attributed to Andrea Pozzo, conceals the niche with the statue. It depicts Saint Ignatius receiving a standard with the monogram of the name of Jesus (IHS) from the Risen Christ, and in the undefined distance below, two angels. The one on the left holds the Gospel, while the angel on the right encourages four people—symbolic of the four continents then known—toward the open book. The canvas, like a curtain, rises and descends with a system of weights and counter-weights.<br><br>Overall, the altar appears like a kind of “theater,” that depicts the course of Saint Ignatius’ holy calling, which others may emulate through following the path indicated by the Spiritual Exercises... The contemplation of the chapel culminates in the moment when the altarpiece descends from view and the saint in glory, represented by the statue placed in the niche behind the painting, is revealed. Pozzo’s altarpiece and its system of weights were restored at the end of 2007.<br><br>Under the altar, a gilded bronze urn with a relief by Alessandro Algardi (1595-1654), contains the saint’s body. Below are two sculptural groups: Religion vanquishing Heresy by Pierre II Le Gros (1666-1719), and Faith overcoming Idolatry, by J.P. Théodon (1646-1713). All the pictorial decorations were designed and executed by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio (1639-1709), on the basis of the design by Fra Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709). The baluster, also designed by Andrea Pozzo, represents one of the most beautiful creations of the late Baroque style, and was executed by, among others, Le Gros.<br><br><br></font><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Source: Adapted from&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</span>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">At the end of 1679 Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called il Baciccio (1639-1709), painted the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in the apse vault. The fresco illustrates a scene described in the Book of Revelation. <br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_abside_high.jpg"><br><br>Of particular note, above of the door at the left, is the bust of the Jesuit saint Roberto Bellarmino, carved between 1622 and 1624 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). <br><br>Above the door at the right is the bust of the Jesuit saint Giuseppe Pignatelli by Antonio Solà.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">Built under the direction of the Jesuit painter Giuseppe Valeriani, the chapel was originally dedicated—by Saint Francesco Borgia—to Saint Francis of Assisi, which explains the five paintings on panel and canvas with episodes from the life of the medieval saint. These are the work of at least two painters: Giuseppe Peniz, a little-known Flemish or German artist, and Paul Bril of Antwerp (1554-1626), a landscape painter who also painted the fresco depicting the Temptation of Saint Francis on the ceiling of the vestibule that connects the transept to the chapel. Three other panels are on view on the small museum next to the sacristy.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><div><br></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">Later, as the cult dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus grew, there was an urge to convert the chapel into a sanctuary, and the current painting on copper, painted in 1760 by Pompeo Batoni, was added to the altar. <br><br>In the vault are the Doctors of the Church and the Evangelists by the Bolognese mannerist Baldassare Croce, called Baldassarino (1558-1628), who was strongly included by the Carracci and by Guido Reni. <br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">The name of this chapel derives from the fresco depicting the Madonna della Strada (“Madonna of the Street”), venerated as miracle-working and particularly dear to Saint Ignatius of Loyola.&nbsp;</font><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_madonna_new_2_high-300x206.jpg"><br><br>The image was probably executed between the second half of the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century. The fresco is on a slate support that measures 68 x 75 cm. Although not attributed to a particular artist, the fresco is typical of the late medieval Roman school.<br><br>The Virgin is represented half-length with the infant Christ cradled in her left arm, while her right hand is open toward the faithful. Her head is crowned with a halo, she gazes outward, and her body is wrapped in a golden mantle. The Christ Child has a halo with a cross and adopts the pose of the Pantocrator (“universal judge”). His outward gaze is serenely austere. He holds a book in his left hand and lifts his right hand in a gesture of blessing. <br><br>The image evokes the typology of the Madonna Mediatrix—Mary, mediator of grace--who both invites us to trust in her Son and intercedes with him on our behalf. The fresco was originally located in the small church called the Chiesa degli Astalli, then Chiesa degli Altieri (after the name of the piazza it faced), and then finally the Chiesa della Madonna della Strada. According to P. Pietro Tacchi Venturi, the area in which the church stood is the current Piazza del Gesù, at the end of Via dell’Aracoeli. The image of the Madonna della Strada was recently cleaned and restored. <br><br>The chapel was designed and decorated by the Jesuit painter Giuseppe Valeriano (1542-1596), who painted the scenes from the life of the Virgin. Relevant passages from the Old and New Testament are inscribed in the black marble below each scene. <br><br>The frescoes of the dome, with angels blowing trumpets, are by G.P. Pozzi (1561-1589), who was active during the pontificate of Sixtus V. The chapel’s pavement is made of rich colored marbles and decorated with stars made of gilded bronze. <br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a> <br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font></div></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">In this chapel, once the vestibule of the side door opening onto the current via del Plebiscito, there is an over life-size crucifix, which was formerly located in the sacristy and moved here because it is an object of great devotion. Although of high quality, its author is unknown. It may have been the original crucifix that adorned the high altar (the space now occupied by the IHS monogram in the Sarti-design altar). While this is only conjecture, it is based on a depiction of the interior of the church by Andrea Sacchi (1599-1661) today in the Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini, and another in the background of a portrait of the two Farnese cardinals, founders of the church and of the Casa Professa, now in the ante-sacristy of the Gesù. The crucifix has recently been restored with the support of a benefactor.<br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_crocifisso_r_2_high-300x270.jpg"><br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><br><div><div></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"></font><br></div></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">This is one of the church’s most sumptuous chapels in terms of the precious marbles that surround the high plinth. The name of the chapel, whose patron was the cleric Pirro Taro, derives from the subject of the altarpiece by Francesco Bassano (1549 – 1592). The frescoes were painted in 1588-89 by three well-known quasi-contemporaneous painters, together with a group of younger, less known assistants. However, which artist painted which work remains contentious. A recent study assigned the frescoes as follows:<br><br>1 - The Jesuit painter Giovanni Battista Fiammeri (Florence, 1530-1606),: the Creation in the vault, the angels on the pilasters, and the design of some of the other frescoes, including perhaps the Baptism of Christ on the right wall, perhaps aided by the unknown “Maestro Bernardino.” Fiammeri apparently also oversaw the entire decorative program in the chapel.<br><br>2 - Durante Alberti (Borgo San Sepolcro, 1538-1613): the Transfiguration on the left wall and perhaps Abraham with the Three Angels in the right lunette;<br><br>3 - Ventura Salimbeni (Siena, 1557-1613): God the Father with a Choir of Angels in the left lunette, and angels in the pendentives;<br><br>The Holy Trinity altarpiece by Francesco Bassano (Venice,1540-1592) has a yellow marble frame. The reliquary on the altar holds the right arm of the Jesuit S. Andrea Bobola, a Polish martyr († 1657), canonized by Pio XI in 1938.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><br><br>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">Originally dedicated to the Nativity, the chapel today takes its name from the subject of the altarpiece by the Roman painter Giovanni Gagliardi, a painter of religious works active at the turn o the 20th century. <br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_sacra_famiglia_high.jpg"><br><br>The original paintings, dating from the 16th century, are the work of Nicolò Circignani, called Il Pomarancio (1516-1596), an artist favored by the Jesuits in the late 16th century. In the vault, he painted the heavenly celebration of the birth of Christ; in the pendentives, the prophets David, Isaiah, Zacchariah and Baruch; in the right lunette, the Annunciation to the shepherds; and in the left lunette, the Massacre of the Innocents. The paintings on the walls, also by Pomarancio, depict the Presentation in the Temple and the Adoration of the Magi. Lower down on the walls, four statues symbolize Temperance and Prudence, on the right, and Fortitude and Justice, on the left.<br><br>The rich decoration of the chapel is completed by the four monumental tombs against the walls: three are dedicated to members of the Cerri family, 17th-century patrons of the chapel with links to the Barberini (the family of Pope Urban VIII): Mons. Antonio, his son Card. Carlo and another relative. The fourth tomb is that of Rosa Bianca Martinetti, who died in 1838—evidently added for symmetry.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">This chapel, originally dedicated to the Apostles, is now dedicated to Saint Francesco Borgia, the Spanish duke of Gandia who, having become a widower, renounced his title and the privileges of his rank in order to join the Jesuits, of which he later became the third Superior General.<br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_borgia_high.jpg"><br><br>The altarpiece depicting Saint Francesco Borgia in prayer is by Fra Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709), with later interventions by Gagliari, who added some Jesuit martyrs.<br><br>Two bronze figures flank the altar, the first of the series of twelve Apostles made in the 17th century for the altar of Saint Ignatius, and instead distributed to various chapels and later placed on the high altar. <br><br>The vault fresco depicting the Pentecost and those in the lunettes depicting, at left, the Martyrdom of Saint Peter, flanked by Faith and Hope, and at right the Martyrdom of Saint Paul, flanked by Religion and Charity, are the work of Nicolò Circignani, il Pomarancio (1516-1591).<br><br>Pier Francesco Mola (1612-1688) painted the lateral walls; on the left is Saint Peter in prison baptizing Saints Processo and Martiniano, and on the right, the Conversion of Saint Paul. The four marble tomb monuments date from the second half of the 19th century, and belong to the Marchesi Ferrari.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a> <br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><div><br></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">This chapel rises in an area formerly occupied by the small church of St. Andrew, which was demolished to make way for the Gesù—hence its name, as well as its dedication to the martyrs. This chapel constitutes a minor triumph of Tuscan painting at the end of the 16th century.</font><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2"><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_andrea_high.jpg"><br><br>The frescoes in the arch (the martyrs Saint Pancrazio, Saint Celso, Saint Vito, and Saint Agapito), on the pilaster (the martyrs Saint Cristina, Saint Margaret, Saint Anastasia, Saint Cecilia, Saint Lucy, and Saint Agatha), in the vault (the Virgin in Glory, surrounded by martyrs), in the pendentives (Saint Clement, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint Cipriano, Saint Policarpo), in the lunette (Saint Agnes and Saint Lucy among their tormentors), on the walls (the proto-martyr Saint Steven and the deacon Saint Lorenzo) are all the work of the Florentine Agostino Ciampelli (1578 – 1640). He also painted the altarpiece depicting the Martyrdom of Saint Andrew.<br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo<br><br> <br><br><br><br></font><br></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">So-called because of the scenes of the Passion which begin in the lunettes (Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Kiss of Judas) and continue in six canvases, four on the pilasters (Christ at the Column, the Capture of Christ, Christ before Herod, Ecce Homo) and two on the walls (the Way to Calvary, the Crucifixion). <br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_passione_high.jpg"><br><br>In the place of the current altarpiece by Giovanni Gagliardi, representing the Madonna enthroned with the infant Christ surrounded by Jesuit saints, there was a Deposition by Scipione Pulzone, now in the Metropolitan Museum in New York<br><br>The Passion scenes were designed by Giuseppe Valeriani (1542 – 1596) and executed by Gaspare Celio (1571 – 1640), including the apotheosis of the instruments of the Passion in the vault, and the Evangelists in the pendentives. In the entrance arch of the chapel are scenes and figures from the Old Testament, which complete the depiction of the theme of divine mercy, of sacrifice, and of salvation.<br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_giuseppe_pignatelli_3_high-300x225.jpg"><br><br>Under the altar, a bronze urn contains the relics of Saint Giuseppe Pignatelli (1737-1811), one of the chief figures in the restitutition of the Jesuits in Italy; he was canonized by Pius XII in 1954. <br><br>On the lateral walls, two medallions indicate the tombs of P. Jan Roothaan (1785-1853) and of P. Pedro Arrupe (1907-1991), respectively the 21st and 28th Superior Generals of the Jesuit Order. <br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><br><div><div><br></div></div>

<font face="verdana, sans-serif" size="2">Gasparo Garzoni—son of Quirino, a gentleman of Jesi, in whose house on the Pincian Hill Saint Ignatius had stayed during his early time in Rome—was the first patron of this chapel, which later passed to Vittorio Delfini.<br><br><img src="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/nuovo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chiesa_del_gesu_roma_angeli_high.jpg"><br><br>Of particular interest are the vault painting depicting the Coronation of the Virgin and the altarpiece depicting Angels adoring the Holy Trinity, both works by Federico Zuccaro (1542 – 1609). The same artist also painted the two frescoes on the side walls: the Fall of the Rebel Angels on the right, and Angels freeing souls from Purgatory on the left. The principal frescoes in the chapel thus include depictions of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.<br><br>The two angels in the niches in the pilasters are by sculptors working at the turn of the 17th century including Silla Longhi (1560-1619 or 1622) and Flaminio Vacca (1538-1605). Particularly precious are the four marble panels carved with luxurious swags of flowers and fruit; these came from the Baths of Titus, from which they were taken in 1594. In the 17th century they were adorned with winged cherub heads, perhaps to give a more sacred character to the pagan works. <br><br><br>Source: Adapted from <a href="http://www.chiesadelgesu.org/">www.chiesadelgesu.org</a><br>Translated by Michelle DiMarzo</font><div><br></div>